Automobile alarm



H. L. HONHANy AUTOMOBILE ALARM sept. 13,1928.

Filed June 21, 1927 Patented Sept. 18, 1928.

n V1,685,013 riferite.,

HERBERT L. HoNHAN, or'cnrcneo, inninois; as sienon To WILL-rn D'. H'CNOHAN,

Y i I or'onicaeo, ILLINOIS. Y

AuToMoBiLE' ALARM; f

Y alienation ala :r1111e' 21,

My invention relates to, the necessary provision for automobilesof means to prevent or anticipate theft, and itiiislmy. main object to provide an appliancezwlii'ch will sound alarmas the theft ofthe automobile is attempted.. f l,

A further object of my inventionis to locate the novel alarm in afposition where it will receive the best motion for its proper operation. V

' A still further o'bjectof my invention isto locate the control forithe n ovelalairm in a handy position.v

Another'objcct' of thefinvention'is to attach thenovelY alarm to theautomobile withoutrequiring radical changes in the latter.

A final, but nevertheless Vimportant'object of the' invention is :to -design Ithe same with few and simple parts, that it may b e'finex- '20 pensiveto manufacture and easy to install` and operate. lnfth'e application'joftheftipreventmg devices to automobiles. it has been. customary to use locks for the disabling-of the steering wheel, transmission gear, etc., but it is well known that the skilled automobile thief usually manages to circumvent these measures by one method or another, and succeeds in getting the automobile awa It is my belief, however, that if a suita le alarm were applied where it would get into action as the automobile gets underway, by-passers and the authorities would be attracted by the noise and would thereby have notice that the machine is operating under unusual conditions. In order Ythat my invention may be better understood, I will refer to the accompanying drawing, in which 1 Fig. 1 shows that member of the automobile to which my alarm is applied, the same being one of the rearwheels;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged cross section of the central portion of the wheel, showing the alarm apparatus more clearly; and

Fig. 3 is a detail of the alarm actuator in position for sounding the alarm.V

Referring. specifically to the drawing, 5 denotes a standard automobile wheel to which I'apply the novel alarm. As usual, the wheel f1 is built on a cluster of spokes 6, to which is bolted the frontal portion of the drum 8 upon lwhich the brakes are exerted. This drum is hollow, and opposite the mouth .thereof is the usual spider 9 of the axle which carries the braking mechanism. The spider is slight- 19a?)y s211111 no. 200,415;

lv spaced from then'aouth of the 8. Inapplying my inventiontofthe above ystructure, -I build-a cylinder lock 1'() atflalconvleiilent pointbetween two spokes, lsaidflock liaving its key/"slot 11'r at the front for,.readyy access by applying the proper key.VJ 'hecylinderV 10l is extended inwardly through tlie' wall 7 of the/brakev drum,'asshownifil12,'proper Securing-aangaan @other meaaebngugsed to fastenthe cylinclerto the: wallff.- ,Within the inner portion 12 .ofthe ,cylindenIO'isai movable .plunger 14,7whifchI receives theturn- Y ingimpulse of the lockas'tlize isirotated in front. By-v means" of a-.pifn .licarried vby the plunger 14- and ezrt'ended:through-a.diagv onal slot. 16 in ,the' cylincler 110, vthe'. plunger* is'caused toadvancein an inward directionv as thc key 1s turned in theunlocking ,direction. The inner end of the'plunger'.,c'arries twoI pivotally att-ached stems .17 which e'Xf tend from the .innen-end of the ,cylinder extension 12, and carry ln 'fietallic, i enlargements or balls 18. The' stems 17" mayL beof Hex ible character such as wire cable. The frontal face of the spider 9 receives a gong 19 secured 4by a central bolt 20, or in any other suitable plunger 12 inwardly, the stems.17 will move 85 linto a position opposite the gong 19 so that when the cylinder is revolved by the rota` tion ofthe wheel'with the brake drum, relative to the spider 9 which is stationary with the axle, the balls 18 will act as hammers to strike the gong at each revolution. Thus, a loud alarm will be sounded, and owing to the spacing of the brake 'drum 8 from the spider 9 will be readily heard by those in the vicinity of the automobile. On the other'hand, when it is desired that the alarm be ineffective, the key isturned inthe opposite direction to draw the hammer element back and out o-f the -way ofthe gong 19.-k Considered as a'lock, the device is -manipulatedreversely 100'4 to the average automobile lock; that is, it is unlocked when it is desired that it function as van alarm, and locked when it is to be inactive, such as when the owner or driver dechine since the chances of detection would be v i very apparent. `The appliance has 'no bearing on Vany vital gearing in the machine, so that even should it be disabled in some manner; by. the thief it would occasion no harm to the mechanism which is essential for the operation thereof. The device Vis readily accessible, sincev it is easy for the driver to ap- Y 1 proach the proper Wheel once he has aliglited from lthe machine, andas equally easy to aproach thesamev Wheel to vrender the alarm lnelective when hejagain" desires to resume his travel. In conclusion the apparatus is extremely simple, and once installedfshould render long service and Vbe dependable. 'i

.Iclaimr V` v. f f Vf1:Anautomobile thet alarm comprising 'a gong carried by the spider at one endot the axle,'a A lated byV key applied externally of the Wheel lock in the brake drum and opersaidlock comprising a cylinder rotated by the lockand having aside pin, a cylindrical shell housing the cylinder and projecting laterally from the Wheel toward the spider and having a spiral slot accommodating the sideV pin, and aV striking element extending from the cylinder through the shellrand" adapted to sound Y' `said gong when thebrake drum rotates with the cylinder in advancedposition; in thevpath of said gong. 4

2. An automobile theft alarm comprising a cylindrical housing extending laterally e from the wheel of an automobile toward the spider, said housing having a spiral slot therein, a cylindrical member in said housingand movable longitudinally thereof, a pin extend,-l ing from said member and projecting through said slot, striking elements attached to said cylindrical member and .projectable from and retractable into said housing by the movement of said -cylindrical member,a gong on the spider adjacent the Wheel in the kpath lof rotation of said striking element when eX- tended from the housing. i

. A3. In combination, an. automobile theft alarm comprising a sounding element carried by the spider at theend of the axle, astriking element carried' by the inner surface of thel brake drum and rotatable in a path alined Vwith saidl sounding element, and means forv moving said striking element in an axial diy rection into and out of the path of said sound'- ing element whereby to periodically engage the same in the rotation of the Wheel.r

4. The combination set forth in claim 3,

HERBERT L. HoNoHAN. 

